Today and tomorrow we’re throwing open the doors of the house, for my master classes on how to break the design rules. The weather is beautiful so lunch in the garden is must, still have to zoom around the place and dust, cut foliage from the garden (oops correction neighbours garden don’t want to diminish any of mine and he won’t notice its sooo overgrown)!! and plonk in sweet little jam jars and then I am done.
Summer in the city, nothing better. I mean I love the country and am pretty desperate once the Merc decides to work again to escape for a weekend but there is something about London in the summer that I love. Everyone out and about sitting on pavements, the relaxed vibe that permanents the air, love it. Thank goodness with the fab weather we are having that the three of us (Maud, Mung’s and myself) all got our hair cut last week (told you I was going for a job lot) so we feel lighter, and much cooler for pottering around the streets.
I digress as always, today we are going to be yabbering about style, particularly style for less. I say it a thousand times and I shall say it again style has nothing to do with money. You can have the coolest pad on the planet and it need not cost the earth you just need to think outside the box. For instance top top top trick, visit flea markets for some cheap but well made furniture. If you like the form, shape and size buy and then spray. Don’t just spray it a conventional colour, no no no we want to push boundaries. Go for gold, go for red, go pink. Do this and you will immediately elevate its status, it will feel grander a little more rock n roll. I’m a big fan of the boho look, the rustic look but they can feel a tad boring unless you have something that knocks it off balance and a brightly sprayed piece of furniture does just that.
One of my flea market finds below, £30 which I then sprayed, told you style has nothing to do with money.
Have a lovely weekend, for me it’s teaching Saturday and pottering in the garden Sunday, heavenly!
I paint old shabby funky pieces of furniture that i find. I use marine high gloss paints and am wondering where do i market these finds? i am having a hard time selling the pieces in an antiques mall one hour out of nyc? as a shop owner and designer- give me the inside on selling my wares to small shops? how do i present the work- through photos? i keep seeing all these intresting pieces of furniture on your blog- alot like mine and i want to push them out my shop door! how!
Thank you for any info
if no info ill be at your nyc class when u announce!
Dana
The best way is find out who the buyer is and mail them images of your products, along with a link to your website. They may not respond as as buyers we tend to get hundreds of emails on a weekly basis but that is certainly the way forward. The other way to go is to take a stand at say the NY gift fair, thousands of buyers are pacing the halls looking specifically to buy products for their stores it may seem like a big expense but from experience the moment you start exhibiting your stuff at fairs the quicker and easier it becomes. If not the NY gift fair then artisan fairs like the Brooklyn flea which I have never been to but here its fab and full of small crafts people. Design sponge recently I think interviewed the guys who set the whole thing up. Hope that helps, very best of luck.
thank you for your thoughts! I guess ill have to store the babies( not sell) make a dramatic presentation( hanging chairs, desks and chests of drawers) and head to the show… you r right that is the place to be seen! Ill keep readind all your posts so i can make a grand decorative entrance! thganx again- have you posted the nyc class yet????
More than welcome, I would say that is by far your best bet, to be in a place where thousands of buyers are passing by your stand is the quickest way to get your business on the map. Good luck, hope to have NYC class dates by the end of the week x
Hi abigail, i have been searching for u! I absolutly love your work! I hate to say it but i dont follow designers, i love looking through websites for designs etc but thats as far as it goes! I watched ‘Get Your House In Order’ and just adore your style!! I am really just looking for some advice or guidance and dont know if you do this sort of thing, so feel quite cheeky, but worth a shot! Myself and my partner bought an older style house a year and a half ago and have since had a beautiful daughter.. we are doing up the house gradually.. most is a lick of paint and all my quirky bits and peices being hung around the place, but the one room i am completely stuck on it our bedroom! Every other room i have had a vision if you like and am so pleased with the results so far but our bedroom has me stumped! Its a huge room with large ceilings and would just love to hear your ideas. Want to completely re-do it as its the same as when we moved in! when i was younger my bedroom was a magical place that i enjoyed and felt so special and i want that feeling again just have no idea on colours or furniture or where to put anything! I know its a long shot but as i said worth a try! Will be following you work from now on!! Thanks for your time. Lara x
Hi Lara, its quite difficult to advise not seeing the space and knowing your style but I would start off the figuring out the colour. Favourite hues of mine are Londay Clay by Farrow and Ball, or Dusted Moss by Dulux, Bulrush by Sanderson restful quite soft hues. Jenna Lyons had a fabulous bedroom in her old house if you google that, dark but totally cool. You want as much texture as possible, rugs skimming floors, throws on the bed that kind of thing, anthropologie have lovely rugs as do lots or vintage places, auction houses, markets etc. I would do what I do when I am stumped, look at blogs or online mags like lonnymag.com or rue.com as well as mags and start pulling images that appeal. Very soon without really knowing it you will have built up a picture of what appeals to you and then you are on your way. Good luck
Thankyou so so much! Thankyou for those colour ideas as finding lots of images i like but they are links for furniture not colours so thats so helpful, really appriciate you taking the time to reply. Ive seen you do was it e-design or decorating? What does that entail? Thankyou again x
More than welcome. The e-decorating service is basically a service we provide to clients all over the world who don’t want our fully comprehensive design so this is all done online. Afetr filling out a detailed questionaire so we put together a scheme, mood boards, list sources that source of thing> Pricing depends on the room but it starts at £1000.
Hi Abigail…Yes, it’s so true how a badly painted (or stained) piece that has great bones can turn into a spectacular item – is something that costs so little. But most people cannot see the hidden potential in a piece – so there’s the rub. I saw something online recently that rocked me – it was a old fashioned coo coo clock (read 50s type – kind of ho-hum) and it was spray painted hot pink! I could see this in a little girl’s room with the pink – and anywhere, painted a bright color – and it would look great!
Have a great weekend. Here in the States we’re doing Memorial Day – barbeque, beer etc…Can’t wait to hear about your NYC class!!
Linda
Sounds fabulous great idea. Have a lovely Memorial Day x
Great tip! Thanks!
i love this!! i want to spray paint our chairs in the dining room all different bright colours to match our multi coloured chandeier! What spray paints do you use and would you recommend sanding or priming the furniture first?
You should sand and prime first I didn’t but its advisable. Also I took my finds to a car sprayer but any DIY store will have spray cans of various hues.
Hi Abigail, I was just wondering where your car sprayer is in east London? I live in Angel and have called a couple of car garages in the area and none of them will spray an old desk I want repainted. (by the way I have recently become slightly obsessed with filling my flat with your artificial flowers which really help give each room a lift!)
Regrettably he has closed down so I am also on the look out – if I find anyone I will let you know. x